Our Weekend In Queenstown!

My husband and I have just come back from a absolutely fabulous long weekend in Queenstown which is in the South Island of New Zealand, about a 1hr 50mins flight from our hometown Auckland. We were up at 5am Thursday morning to catch our 7am flight… but my goodness did the view make up for it! We landed and picked up our car, curtesy of Jucy Rentals (thanks guys!) and headed for Arrowtown.

Imitating Jucy Rentals ”Jucy Lucy” pinup girl!

Arrowtown is about a 15 minute drive from the airport and since we had some time to kill before being able to check into our hotel, we thought a wander around town and breakfast in Arrowtown would be perfect! Arrowtown is a quaint little historic village in the Arrow Basin. It had local Maori tribes pass through the area as early as the 1700s and the township was established when gold was discovered in 1861. The resulting gold rush meant a influx of European and Chinese Miners. There are still some of the old huts and houses from the Chinese settlement. After finding breakfast, we went for a walk around the township. The buildings are all historic and really well kept. I found the most amazing sweet shop- The Remarkable Sweet Shop – and bought some of their delicious fudge! Next we headed to Queenstown via a detour up Coronet Peak. It was a great to get up high and soak in the beautiful weather and view! I love seeing the snow! But not actually having to walk it it 😉 Later in the afternoon, we checked into our hotel and I had a much needed afternoon nap from such a early morning! The view from our room was just lovely! The next day was the reason we had come down to Queenstown- our friends Dauniika and Brendon’s wedding! I was in charge of making sure everyone’s hair looked amazing so had the bride, 3 bridesmaids and mother of the bride to do! It was a busy morning but everyone ran on time and I had a few minutes to get back to our hotel room, get changed and head downstairs for the pick-up to the wedding venue. The most stunning setting for a wedding, it was held at Jack’s Point surrounded by the giant mountain landscape. Dauniika looked incredible and absolutely glowing! The ceremony was really lovely and then after a few family photos, the bride and groom got whisked up the mountain by a helicopter! We got to enjoy some delicious canapés and wine while they were gone and soak up the sun! Mr and Mrs Mearns arrived back in style and we sat down to a incredible dinner of Lamb, Pork Belly, Risotto, Salmon and lots of other delicious treats. Much drinking, eating and dancing followed… it was a super fun night and lets just say I wasn’t feeling too flash when I woke up the next morning! Saturday was a pretty slow start, we went into town for a late breakfast at Arnold’s American Diner. Grilled Banana and Bacon Pancakes and coffee were just what the doctor ordered! Then we headed to Dauniika and Brendon’s big apartment that had a lovely balcony with another great view! After catching up with everyone and saying our goodbyes, we walked back down towards our hotel room. After a short walk along the lake, we had another afternoon nap (I do love a good nap!) That night was a pretty quiet one, we just went to the pub downstairs for pizza and to watch the All Blacks vs Argentina game. Sunday was our last day in Queenstown and I really didn’t want to leave! We had a few hours between check out and needing to be at the airport so we went into the town and walked around the shops and along the lake. I was trying to take in as much of the view as I could before having to leave! A round of mini golf (Matt won) and we headed off to the airport. I really REALLY didn’t want to come home! Queenstown is so picturesque, if you ever get a chance to visit, make sure you do! There are heaps of things to do especially if you are into adventure sports. I can’t wait to go back, thank you Brendon and Dauniika for inviting us to your stunning wedding and giving us the excuse to come down!